Ideas often fail because of their implementation

The self-proclaimed start-up metropolis Berlin is, I sometimes think, the city of 1.000 ideas, one crazier than the other. People who have big plans can be found on every street corner. However, it often fails because of the implementation: After hours was talked about an idea and you painted them in the most glowing colors, someone asks the Gretchenfrage: "And what about the financing?" Then there is silence, Shrugs - and the good idea often runs in the sand.

This does not necessarily apply only to business start-ups. But these are a good example of how important structured implementation is when you have a good idea. A founder tells how he implemented his initially rather crazy idea step by step - and gives practical tips for a structured approach.

With structured planning to success

Denn Martin Klug was a pretty successful business consultant before deciding to swap the execution of bloodless projects for what he really stands for. While studying for an MBA in the Dutch city of Utrecht, he met his future partner, New Zealander Andrew Morten, in a pub.

And the two developed the idea with theirs Company TravelEssence to market individual travel to New Zealand and Australia. The fact that this became a successful company is largely due to the structured approach and willingness to implement, with which the two proceeded.

Courage to dare something new. At first, the basic idea seemed totally crazy: the two of them focused on small accommodations which, due to the lower capacities, could be marketed with a much greater effort. However, they wanted to do without motor home travel for environmental reasons, although the Netherlands is a classic market for motorhome travel and customers would expect just that. And Martin had never been to Australia or New Zealand until then. So completely new territory, and yet the idea of ​​a pub became a successful company, precisely because the two dared to go completely new ways.

Focus on the essentials. The risk of taking part in a young tourism start-up was too big for potential investors. They wished "good luck, boys" and waved off. The two then thought about what they really needed and released their savings with 15.000 Euro. Martin is of the opinion that as a founder you do not have to put unnecessary obstacles in the way: "Many founders think that they first have to clear up the financing," he says. "But you often do not have them as founders in your hands. So instead of making oneself so dependent on others in their decisions, one should rather concentrate on the actual founding and on how to implement his idea. "

Simple instead of complicated. "We were able to do many things ourselves and did not have to spend a lot of money," says Martin. They also took their market research into their own hands by asking visitors at tourism trade fairs about their wishes and requirements for a trip. "The results have confirmed us to continue," Martin told me. "It just does not always have to be the expensive study, and market research in particular can often be done very well yourself."

Keep going. The Netherlands is a classic market for motorhome travel. The potential customers did not even understand that the company did not have them. "Again and again we were asked about it." Eventually, the two seriously considered giving up their position, but then went on to continue: "You can only sell what you really believe in," says Martin, but admits: "This is part of it of course a dose of naivety, because of course we believed in the quick success - MBA students just. "

Proceed with plan. The two founders also spent months worrying about their business plan. For example, they wondered why small accommodations were hardly marketed so far and found that the organizers apparently lacked the right software. Therefore, they originally wanted to write the booking software for the systematic recording of small hotels. But during the research for their business plan, they found that they still exist - and so they became a tour operator. "A business plan is less important for the banks than for yourself," says Martin. "It is important that you write down everything, go through the entire start-up process in the mind and then consider:" Where do I want to go, what do I want to achieve - and what must I do for it? "

Sense of reality. A healthy sense of reality is also important for successful implementation. You win by getting feedback in time, "not just from friends and family," Martin says. "Because they are either too benevolent or over-critical, but not neutral." He also recommends telling people of the idea that you hardly know.

Do not be afraid of the Idea-Klau. "You can not steal an idea, anyone can have it," says Martin. Rather, it depends on who also implements an idea in the end. Even companies are less interested in the ideas than in the implementation. Because that's the real challenge: "For an idea alone, no investor gives you money. Because investors want to see what I do with the idea - so a business plan makes sense. The pure idea, however, is worth nothing. And anyone who withholds his idea for fear of stealing ideas often does not even get into the founding flow. "

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A derivation that has been researched on 1000 startups, why this fails is somehow missing. The claim that there is a lack of strategy and planning somehow seems very out of thin air, downright populist.

I have already seen many business plans, but never anyone who worked for them. It was more like cloud cuckoos, alas, that would be nice if it was like that ".

From such a statement "we want to make 3 million turnover in 1 years" does not follow, unfortunately, what one must do for it.